Homily

Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Where do we put our energy, our effort, our hopes, our values? What do we desire above all things and then, after that greatest desire, where do all our other desires line up? For what or for whom are we living? These are very, very important questions and I think we may not always give them attention that they should be given. We are always in danger of allowing events, emotions, situations, personal weaknesses and sin to pull us away or distract us from what we know is our greatest treasure: our life in Christ. That is where our hearts should be. That is where we should invest not some of our treasure, but all of it.

Those who choose to put their treasure in evil do not suffer from distractions or setbacks, they are not tempted by virtue and goodness. They have no place for Christ and they have no love for Him. They are fixated and focused only on their own desires, and those desires will eventually end up harming or destroying the lives of other people, because evil people live and act as if there is no God, and therefore they take His place as the center of their universe.

The season of the Great Fast is a time for investing. It’s a time for investing our treasure. It’s time for considering our greatest desires and whether or not all of them are worthy of the attention we have given them. It is a season to look again at where we are placing our hope because we know we have failed at times to live up to our good intentions. We have missed the mark and sinned, so we ask for pardon from the Lord and for grace to do better. And that pardon and that grace is our investment in the life that Christ wishes us to share in.

But it can be hard for us to change, especially to change habits of living and thinking and acting that we have become so used to following in our day to day lives. And it can be very difficult to try and form new habits that will show us to be followers of Christ. That’s why this season is so important—because it pulls us away from the normal routines of our daily lives through the practices of extra prayer and fasting, and having those changes in our daily routines can help us get a new perspective on where we are and where we want to be. How are we investing the treasure of our lives? What an important question! During these coming weeks it would be good for us to ask ourselves this question over and over again. How are we investing the treasure of our lives? We have made many investments in life that were mistakes, that were unsatisfying, harmful and unproductive. But if we open our hearts to Christ, if we are willing to repent and ask pardon, if we choose to place Him first, we shall never be disappointed.

We pray during the Vespers today: “Let us begin the season of the Fast with joy, giving ourselves to spiritual deed, cleansing our soul and body by controlling our passions, as we limit our food and live on the virtues of the Spirit. Let us persevere in our longing for Christ.” Amen.